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Of course, it was too good to be true. The ’90s radio rock wet dream of the Mark McGrath and Friends Cruise (haha, water, get it?) will not set sail. The three-day seaward journey back in time that promised strains of inoffensive alt-rock between rounds of pool deck limbo was…

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Sadie Such Such is the owner/photographer/producer at Sadie Such Photography and Films. Learn more here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio, what station would play right now? I think I may have left it on the country station last time I was in…

It’s not uncommon for fans to have a soft spot for the first album they hear from a beloved artist. It might not be the band’s defining work, but it was your entry point, your gateway. I’ll always carry a torch for Alkaline Trio’s fourth album, Good Mourning, and in…

The love affair began over a fuzzy guitar lick topped with a greasy organ swirl. Keyboardist Nicole Laurenne and guitarist Michael Johnny Walker were in a band rehearsal when the other musicians stepped out for a smoke. Walker noticed a fuzz pedal that hadn’t been used during the session. So,…

We don’t necessarily want what’s good for us — from chili cheese fries to that one last Jäger shot to a late-night booty call. And sometimes we must give thanks for the circumstances that thwarted us and led to a later sense of relief. So it is with dramatic indie…

“We’re changed people,” Brandon Decker says firmly, describing the aftermath of the nearly fatal rollover car accident that forever altered the lives of the members of Sedona-based indie-folk band decker. It’s a story that’s been told many times, but it bears repeating: Last August, en route to Santa Cruz, California,…

I’m no prophet, but 2013 might go down in the books as some sort of “shoegaze revival banner” year. Not only did My Bloody Valentine release the long-awaited (22 years) MBV, the followup to the genre-defining Loveless, but yesterday news broke that the Southwest’s long-dormant dreampop/shoegaze/noise rock showcase, Beautiful Noise,…

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Though the band now resides in Austin, Meat Puppets and the brothers Kirkwood (Curt and Cris) will be forever tied to the Valley of the Sun whence they sprung. That connection has gotten stronger to with the addition of Curt’s son Elmo–a Tempe resident and guitarist in local bands Flamingo…

Paramore doesn’t need the Farro brothers to go on. So long, founding brothers Josh and Zac. Frontwoman Hayley Williams is soldiering on, bad haircuts and all. It looks like the band’s big move into maturity might just abandon the sparkly pop that made the band famous. Who cares that it…

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…

By Brittany Spanos At what point did teen girls suddenly just become wrong? “Serious” music fans seem to have universally accepted a critique of quality that befalls any artist who willingly sells to the rabid teen girl market and stigmatized the fans who dare to sometimes be male or at…

By Mary Carreon Big news! There’s an album called 50 Shades of Dubstep. It’s got — you guessed it — 50 songs of goddamn dubstep. Amazon says it came out in August, but it just arrived in our mailbox this month. And so, we did what any logical person would…

Once a week, Up on the Sun features a new comic strip from punk rocker, cartoonist, and full-time dad Brad Dwyer. See New Times’ print edition to check out the strip in glorious, inky newsprint each Thursday…

Timothy NorrisBy Brett Koshkin As the corpses of corporate music retail chains like Tower Records and Blockbuster Music litter dying strip malls, Amoeba Music thrives as an independent juggernaut with three California-based stores the size of supermarkets. Amoeba has been a celebrated shopping destination for West Coast music aficionados for…

Over the past seven years, Scottsdale selector DJ Six 4 has scored plenty of experience dropping vibrant mixes for a slew of cartoonish characters in the always-colorful local club scene. Besides earning the cat, known to his mama and papa as Scott Lane, some serious paydays, it’s also helped prepared…

Sara McClellan McClellan is the freelance writer, creative mentor, and brand consultant behind Intuitive Horizon. She is also author of The World Needs Hope and is an inspirational speaker on hope, grief, and empathy. Learn more here. When you put your key in the ignition and turn on the radio,…

Nothing beats creativity — especially if it makes a difference in our community. Since 2010, we’ve been on the hunt for emerging creatives in the Valley who are working on cool projects. Call them designers, performers, chefs, singers, dancers, painters, sculptors … We’re sticking to Big Brains. This year, we’re…

It takes some bands months of playing shows to find an identity, but Tempe dance-punk act Doctor Bones skipped those awkward on-stage moments “feeling it out.” Though the band has honed its skills with each passing performance, Doctor Bones’ sound — New Wave sensibilities, pop arrangements, dance-ready beats, and manic,…

Blues guitarist Keb’ Mo’ is something of a household name at this stage in his career. He’s got a pocketful of Grammys and assorted other music awards and was a central character in Martin Scorsese’s miniseries The Blues. His most recent album, The Reflection, was a deviation from form, dabbling…